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Part 1: The Creation of Kāmadeva and the Right Use of Power: Teachings from the Śiva Purāṇa Oṃ Vidyārambhaṃ kariṣyāmi siddhir bhavatu me sadā. Oṃ śrī gurve namaḥ. Guru brahmā, guru viṣṇu, guru devo maheśvaraḥ, guru sākṣāt paraṃ brahma, tasmai śrī gurve namaḥ. Oṃ sarva-maṅgala-maṅgalye, śive sarvārtha-sādhike, śaraṇye tryambake gaurī, nārāyaṇi namo'stute. Oṁ Namaḥ Gaurī Śivāya Namaḥ. Oṁ Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinaḥ, Sarve Santu Nirāmayāḥ, Sarve Bhadrāṇi Paśyantu, Mā Kaścid Duḥkhābhāg Bhavet. Oṁ Asato Mā Sadgamaya, Tamaso Mā Jyotirgamaya, Mṛtyormā Amṛtaṁ Gamaya. Oṁ Śāntiḥ Śāntiḥ Śāntiḥ. I would like to salute the Supreme Lord, God, and Guru, and all the sages, ṛṣis, munis, and saints—all the persons who contributed to my life. I would like to thank everyone who is participating here and who is listening to me from this webcast around the world. Please accept my humble greetings from Ācārya Rajan Sarna. I welcome everyone at this time. Param Pitā, Parameśvara, Guru, Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Maheśvara, Gurudeva, and all the sages of the world who have passed down this knowledge to the books till today—to everyone, I salute, I bow, I touch my feet to everyone’s lotus feet. These chapters, which are very important and relevant to modern life and modern times, talk about money, power, and sex. What can the Śiva Purāṇa say about these? What is the perception? How can we control them? And what is the meaning of desire that we are going to explain? In today’s study, we focus on chapters 7 to 10 of the second Saṁhitā, Rudra Saṁhitā, of the Śiva Purāṇa. So, what does our Śiva Purāṇa say about all the doubts in the world about Kāmadeva, Sandhyā, Śakti, Rāga, and Kambāsana? What is the meaning of these words? Bhūni bhyās, Guru, Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Maheśvarānanda, Śrī Viṣṇu, Maheśvarānanda Purī Jī, Śrī Viṣṇu, Maheśvarānanda Purā Purā Labh Uṭhāyenge, aur is Śiva Purāṇa kā mahatva ye hai ki āp jahāṁ se bhī sun rahe hain, vahāṁ pe āpko vahāṁ se uṭhāne ke lie bahut sāre vyaktī lekin āp adhiṣṭhān lekar baiṭh lenā, sun lenā, kahīṁ bhī ho, jaisā bhī hai, ye āvāz jahāṁ tak pahuñch rahā hai. Tathā taka āpa Śiva Purāṇa ke Śiva aura amṛta tulya śabda se, amṛta tulya kathā se, āpako antas aśkaraṇa ko śuddhi kevala nahīṃ hai, ki āpako janama janama ke pāpa bhī nikal jātā hai. Aura isa Purāṇa kā mahattva toha meṃ vistāra meṃ bāta karatā rahūṅgā. But now, before beginning, first I wish to commence with a Ganesh bhajan and Ganesh invocation. Jai Boliye Ganesh Bhati Maharaj Ji, Gauri Ganesh. With his blessings, this story begins—the story of Satya Yukya, and this story of Devādidev, Devādidev Mahādev’s Amṛt Tulya Bāṇī, and Pārvatī and all the deities who live around him are the Bāṇī. When in the Śiva Purāṇa Brahmājī had given birth to all his sons for the continuity of the universe, the seventh ṛṣi had come, and along with the seventh ṛṣi, the sages Marīci Ṛṣi, Atri Ṛṣi, Pulaha Ṛṣi, Pulastya Ṛṣi, Aṅgirā Ṛṣi, Kratu Ṛṣi, Vasiṣṭha Ṛṣi, Nārada Ṛṣi, and Dakṣa and Bhṛgu—all of them had been born. Then after that, Nārada asks, “Bhagavān Brahmā, O Brahmājī, you have given birth to Kāmadeva. What is the secret?” Of Kāmadeva, and how did you wish to create Kāmadeva in your mind, we ask him. He Brahmā ko aur Brahmājī bolte hain, he Nārada, he muniśreṣṭha, āpne jo pūchā hai ki Nārada, āp to gyānī hai, ki maine Kāmadeva ko kyoṁ sṛjana kiyā hai. Kī Bhāī, Kī Nārada Jī ne jab pūchhte hain, to Brahmā Jī ek-ek karke batāte hain. Aur hamāre liye Nārada hamāre jijñāsā sab pūchhte hain, aisā lagtā hai. To Kāmadeva ke bāre mein Brahmā Jī batāte hain, and Brahmā Jī says that all the ṛṣis have come into the world, but, Nārada, I felt that there is one such thing, such a son, who is beautiful and very attractive, and who is attractive to everyone in the world. I had the intention of having such a son. So here is the story in the Śiva Purāṇa, in the second Saṁhitā, the Rudra Saṁhitā. In this chapter, Nārada is asking Brahmā, and Brahmā is the creator, the father, the supreme master. And he is asking, “O Brahmā, O my lord, O my father, my dearest father, can you please bless me and tell me, why did you create Kāmadeva? Kāma Deva is the lord of sex, the lord of attraction, the lord of beauty. And why did you create Kāmadeva? Deva is the divine, God. Kāma is desire, especially affairs, sex, and attractions. And why did you create Kāma Deva? So what was the mystery in that? Can you tell me, can you please explain?” Then Brahmā replied to Nārada, “Oh Nārada, it is my great pleasure. Why should I not tell you? These are the important things you need to know. You are the Sarvaśreṣṭha Muni, you are the great sage, so you deserve to know these things. Why did I create Kāmadeva? Kāmadeva is one of attraction, beauty, and a wonderful person who can attract anyone in this world. Whoever comes with the body, the physical body, he will be attracted by Kāmadeva—Kāmadeva, the desire, especially the sexual desire, especially the attraction, beauty.” And Brahmā is replying to Nārada, “O Nārada, I created many sages, many saints, and many elements of this universe. So in this universe that I created, many sages like Bhṛgu and Aṅgirā, Dakṣa, Nārada, Marīci, Atri, Pulaha, Pulastya and Kratu and Vasiṣṭha, many sages and saints, have already been created. But I have a great desire that there should be someone who can attract anyone; otherwise life will not be beautiful. Sometimes, to balance life, one person must be needed. So that’s why, with that great desire, that beautiful desire, Brahmā created Kāmadeva.” And when the thought came in his mind, the Kāma Deva—the minute Brahmā thought about Kāma Deva, he was shaking there. And from his womb, from his mind, Kāma Deva started to work; even Brahmā is affected. And slowly, slowly, Kāma Deva’s time to come outside into this world arrived, and he finally arrived on this earth. And he is asking, “Oh Brahmā, oh dearest father, why did you create me? I am so beautiful; everyone is admiring me. I am the most handsome person.” A handsome person, and no one can stop their temptation. Everyone can be attracted to me, so what’s the reason? What’s the reason of this beauty? What should I have to do? What’s my responsibility? He is asking continuously to Brahmā, and Brahmā said, “Oh, my beautiful son, you are… look at the wonderful, look at you. You have got beautiful eyes and face, a handsome body, and from toes to head, look at this. Everywhere, the beauty, and the beauty is attraction, and that is needed in this universe. And your duty is to go everywhere, and you can. Attracted everywhere in Triloka, Martyaloka, Svargaloka, Pātāla, everywhere. Where you can go easily wherever you want, and you can stay without knowing, without giving information. You can recite people’s body and automatically you can create the beauty and attraction. Your duty is that. You have to go there so that it will help me to create and to the creation of this universe.” Brahmājī bolete haiṅ, “Nārada, tumne pūchā ki Kāmadeva ko kyō tumne utpanna kar liyā? To Kāmadeva is sansāra ke liye, manuṣya ke liye nahīṅ, sāre jīvātmā ke liye. Sansāra meṅ unko ākarshaṇ ke liye, sundaratā ke liye, Kāmadeva kī sṛṣṭi karne kā merā bahut icchā hai.” Isle ek manamohak puruṣ kā janma denā mere ko abhiṣeka hai. Isle mene dediyā to phir Nārada puṣṭi hai ki usko janma se pahale. How did this come into your mind? How did you give it a name? How did you name it? When he says this, Brahmājī says to Nāradjī in the north, “O Nārad, when I thought of creating Kāmadeva in my mind, at that time my mind was shaken. The effect of Kāmadeva is so strong, it shook me with pride. In my mind also, the thought of going here and there started coming.” Prabhu Dīp Karatā Mahāprabhujī Dīp Karatā He Kevalam. To go near people and to come and go to all three worlds, you don’t need anyone’s permission. You are a yogī, a siddha puruṣa, and you will keep attracting anything, any living being. You will travel around the world, and for this, for the balance of creation, you are necessary. That is why I gave birth to you. So, Kāmadeva always asks, “Oh, the father, then what’s my name? So, what’s my name?” First of all, you know that when somebody comes, then the father or parents give the name. When you are born in spirituality, the guru gives the spiritual name. In the same way, Kāmadeva also asks, “What is my name? My dear father Brahmā, so, what is my best name?” Then Brahmā said, “Well, one of my sons, the sages—among the many sages, one of my sages already created your name. You are the Manthaha. That means, like, when you come, Mantha Ma. So when you come into my mind, you already shake my body. That’s why your first name is Manthama. What is his name? Manthama. Man means like mind. Tama is shaking. His mind was shaking. I am trembling, so that’s why his first name was Kamadeva’s first name is Manthama. Kāmadeva’s first name is Manmatha. When he came to Brahmājī’s mind, when he came to Bhūrṇa, he started shaking his mind at that time. That’s why your first name is Manthama. So what happens is that if you become aware of the name, then you will remain with the mind, and there is no one like you. You are the most beautiful person on this planet, and no one can defeat you. So that’s why your name is Kāma. Kāma is attraction, beauty, desire. So that’s why your name is Kāma. So Kāma Basanā, we normally call Kāma Basanā. But the girl’s name is Kāma Deva. So your name is Kāma, the Brahma tool. Well, your name is various. Yes, your name is Kāmadeva, Manmatha, and attraction, beauty. But normally, people will be popular as a Kāmadeva.” And Brahmā said, “Well, that’s good to know, my dearest father. So what is my other duty? What do I have to do?” And he said, “Those people who are in total detachment from this universe, those people who are no longer interested in my creation, then you can go and encourage them. So that is your duty.” So Brahmā is asking to give the instruction to Kāmadeva. And well, okay, “whatever you order me, I’ll follow, my Lord, my dearest father.” Then Kāmadeva started, and Kāmadeva started to travel anywhere else. And we were asked the way, we were to see Kāmadeva. The people make us like an addiction. They lost, like, yesterday we mentioned Nārada’s story. So, whatever beautiful things come in front of you, everyone is attracted. That is Kāmadeva’s duty. He started his duty according to Brahmā’s instruction. Brahmājī ke ādeś ke anusār Kāmadeva parivāraṁ karne lage. And for Kāmadeva, it was said that you have to meditate on Lord Śiva, you have to do penance on Lord Śiva. So for knowledge, Brahmā says, “Go and do penance on Lord Śiva.” So always, Brahmā instructs, Viṣṇu instructs, “Meditate.” And whenever you are born, the first thing you need to know is meditation. Nowadays, we go to college, schools, and gurukul āśrams, so the best knowledge comes from meditation. Knowledge from books is only information. It is not wisdom. Whatever we know up to now—many philosophies, many principles, many books, many scriptures—we read and we become pundits, and we say that we are so-called intellectual persons. But until you do the meditation, until you follow the real truth, the eternal connection with God and Guru, the person is not the wisdom, not the wise. That is not called wisdom; that is only information. If you know how to swim, principally or theoretically, and the minute you enter the ocean, you cannot do anything. You cannot use that formula, whatever you repeated in your home, the theory. So that’s why you need to be practical. So practical knowledge is wisdom. And wisdom comes through eternal meditation. And that meditation, the Śiva Purāṇa is encouraging everyone, every time, every chapter is to meditate. Meditation is a panacea for your every desire, every sickness, every difficulty, material difficulties, worldly difficulties, heavenly difficulties, and karmic difficulties as well. Śiva Purāṇa. In this dhyāna, Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Maheśvarānanda pray to everyone to meditate. Without meditation, there is no knowledge. Brahmājī says, “Kāmadeva, son, you have the power, but the power can be misused. Therefore, meditate for it. Meditate for whom? Meditate on Lord Śiva. Lord Śiva teaches how to use the power.” So, this is what Kāmadeva is for, and then we move on to Śivajī’s meditation. Kāmadeva is born, and after birth, what is there? He starts meditating, and after meditating, how can he use his power? We are looking for that. So, I am talking about in Śiva Purāṇa, the power. So, I talk about how Kāmadeva is sex, desire, and beauty. And Kāmadeva came, but he doesn’t know how to use the power. In this world also, the main problem is using and misusing power. And Brahmā told Kāmadeva, “You have the power, but before going to the world, before going to the universe, before going down to the earth, you need to be careful how to use your power, and better not misuse it. Your power is to know how to use the power. You have to meditate, and meditate on whose meditation? Śiva’s meditation, and he told, like before, without meditation, you have to meditate. Meditation, you will not have the power.” So Brahmā Jī says, “Hey Kāmadeva, what is your strength? How do you find strength? For that, meditate on Śrī Mahādev Jī.” So he ordered Kāmadeva also, “Meditate.” And, about if you have a weapon, a machine gun, and you know how to use it, but if you don’t know the rules, what will happen? You will shoot everywhere. Or wherever an enemy comes in front of you, you can shoot. There will be no rules, nothing. It’s like Matsya Nyāya. Matsya Nyāya is the law of the fish. So the fish says, “Whoever is weak, then they can eat.” That’s their rule. The weak fish is eaten by the powerful fish. That’s why, Matsya Nyāya. So that’s why power misusing is the main issue of this world. How to use the power, and that is the thing. When you read that here, and many gods and goddesses, Śiva and Nārada and Rāma and Viṣṇu, they have got amazing power. They have got Brahmāstra, the divine weapons, but they didn’t use them just for the sake of using them or just to defeat the enemy. They always use it for the purpose of Dharma, for the protection of Dharma. That’s why any power you have, you are only liable to use if you can protect the Dharma. Otherwise, you are not able to use that. Even though you are powerful, even though you are the most powerful person, do not use your power just for the sake of showing off your pride or for any selfish work. Just work for the protection of the Dharma. This is the main motto here. And Kāma Deva also, beautiful, amazing desire, anything, but just used for the protection of the Dharma. If you misuse this, then you are liable for that punishment. All the consequences will not be fruitful; they will be bitter outcomes. That’s why Kāma Deva is always careful before using. So, who is Kāmadeva? And he started to meditate. And Kāma Deva started meditating on Mahādeva. So in this world, if you see any news every day in the daily newspaper, television, or radio, everywhere you can see the misuse of power. And that’s why sometimes they will be caught in cases of corruption, sexual abuse, or any illegal matter. And there are always issues you can see in this world, and it is always restless. People have got power, but they don’t know how to use it. That’s why they will be in problems. If they can maintain the power, the world is beautiful, and the beautiful world can give peace to everyone. This machine is not made to kill flies. This machine is not made to kill pests and wild animals. This machine is made to kill humans. And by killing humans, they have established their own power. Therefore, if there is no mixture of power, people will die in injustice. That is why Śrī Purāṇ says that whatever power you have, it should not be misused. If you want to have power, it should be for the protection of religion. If someone uses his power for the protection of religion, then there will never be a war in the world. Avitak, aap dekh lijiye ki sansār meṁ jitne bhi yuddha ho gaye, wo yuddha meṁ kyā hai? Sabse jyādā 5000 se jyādā time to yuddha ho chukā hai, aur is yuddha meṁ, ki sāre sabse jyādā to dharma yuddha meṁ log mar chuke haiṁ, dharm ke nām par log mar chuke haiṁ, lekin dharma wo nahīṁ hai ki jo dūsre... To seize the power of others and to impose one’s own rule, that which does this is not dharma. Dharma is that which fights for the welfare of others; that alone is dharma. That’s why in today’s world, for peace, the Śiva Purāṇa is very beautiful. In every house, in every people, and in every state and government, every government should learn the Śiva Purāṇa. The Śiva Purāṇa is an important book. So the Śiva Purāṇa is one of the best scriptures that says how to utilize your power. You can see nowadays, the people have a lot of fear. You know, there are a lot of missiles, machine guns, and bombs. And there are chemical bombs nowadays. Mahāprabhujī, Karatā Mahāprabhujī, Karatā Mahāprabhujī. The war has happened, and most wars happen in the name of religion, and many people have died in the name of religion. But there is no religion. Dharma means to protect other people, to give peace to other people. Part 2: Patience, Discipline, and the Path of Dharma: Insights from the Śiva Purāṇa In the name of philosophy—whether Jain, Muslim, Christian, Hindu, or any other tradition—people fight. Yet dharma itself teaches, “dharmo rakṣati rakṣitaḥ.” This means that if you protect dharma, dharma protects you. But you should not need to protect anything. You need no missiles or weapons to safeguard dharma. Dharma remains dharma. Just as you do not need to point to Sūrya, the sun, and declare, “Oh, there is a sun.” You do not need to market the sun; it shines brightly on its own. No advertisement is necessary. Thus the Śiva Purāṇa instructs us to use our power only for dharma. And Kāmadeva’s story demonstrates that without discipline, without rules, power cannot be held in check—misuse inevitably follows. A person may succeed once or twice, but they will be caught the third time. It is said that no matter what sin you commit, you might hide it once, you might hide it twice, but the third time it will be cut off. Some say that after twelve years everything reverses. Therefore, never think, “I have money, so I can do anything,” or “I have power, so I can do anything.” No—because time changes, circumstances change. Consider the bird: while alive, it wishes to eat ants and small insects. But when the bird dies, the ants eat the bird. So, the situation reverses. Time comes for everyone. Today a person may be weak in terms of power, but who knows what tomorrow brings? That is why the Śiva Purāṇa also says: never give up; continue on your journey without ceasing. Who knows—one day you may become the richest person or a spiritually enlightened being. You never know. There is no need to abandon your journey. Persist, and the opportunity for enlightenment may come. It is not necessary that you are wealthy, that you live near God and Guru, that you are close to temples, shrines, or pilgrimages. If your devotion is continuous, if you put in effort, you definitely deserve enlightenment one day. To illustrate, I would like to add a story. One day, Nārada came to visit the earth. There, many yogīs were meditating. He went to three different places to test the quality of their meditation. At the first place, he saw a yogī deep in meditation. Nārada approached and asked, “Oh yogī, you are meditating here?” “Yes, yes, sir. I am meditating here. You have direct access to God; you can ask the Supreme Master directly. Can you tell me one thing?” “What is that?” “When will I get enlightenment?” Nārada replied, “God says that you will have enlightenment after as many years as there are leaves on this tree. Only then will you be liberated.” The man was surprised—and then began to dance. “Oh my God! So I will have enlightenment one day! At least I will have it! No matter if it is a thousand years, no matter if it is five hundred years—I will have enlightenment one day!” He danced with joy. Nārada then went to another place, where a different yogī was meditating. This yogī had been meditating for a long time, while the dancing yogī had begun only a month before. Nārada said, “Oh Nārada, are you all right? Do you have any good news for me?” Nārada answered, “What good news? I have been meditating here for thousands and thousands of years. When will I get enlightenment?” Nārada said, “You are very close—perhaps five more years.” “Five years? Silly Nārada! I have been meditating here for so long. I should be enlightened next year, or soon—next month, maybe!” And he began to berate Nārada. “I am just the messenger of God’s word; I cannot change anything,” Nārada said, and he moved on. Nārada then went to a third yogī. That yogī also asked, “Oh Nārada, you have arrived. Do you have any good news?” Nārada replied, “God has said you will be enlightened in fifty years.” The yogī complained, “But I was supposed to be enlightened in around twenty years. How come it’s fifty years? Rāvaṇa received Śiva darśana earlier, and Kumbhakarṇa received it earlier. How come they got it, and yet I must wait?” But finally, God appeared, and they received darśana—first to the yogī who was dancing. Though he might have had to meditate for thousands of years, because of his patience and acceptance, he received darśana immediately, instantly. This shows that if you expect something desperately and with selfishness, you may not have darśana. But if you simply let go—“Okay, don’t worry. One day I will have it. If I don’t have it in this life, that is fine; it is my karma. As long as I do my duty, as long as I start my journey, that’s fine”—then one day you will get closer. If you say, “Oh Guru, I have been meditating for twenty years, I give donations, I chant thousands of mantras—even on the aeroplane I have no time, but I keep chanting your name. Look at my problems: my home is full of trouble, I am not getting a job, my bank account is empty. Can you grace me?”—then perhaps the timeline lengthens, it is prolonged, and you will not reach the reality. So what is essential for devotion to Bhagavān? There must be courage. Nārada once came to test whose meditation was most important, whose enlightenment would come quickly. In one place, a yogī was meditating. The yogī asked, “Oh Nāradajī, you have come! Tell me, when will I receive darśana of my Bhagavān?” Nārada said, “You have meditated for many years, but Bhagavān says you must still do penance for five more years.” The yogī became angry. “Five more years? I have meditated for so many years. Why has Bhagavān not given me darśana? This is injustice!” Offended, Nārada left him and went to another place. There, another yogī was meditating. This yogī was very happy during meditation, and he welcomed Nārada joyfully. He asked, “O Nārada, you travel to heaven and hell, you go everywhere. Tell me, what is the news of God? When can I see God?” Nārada replied, “Yogī, do not worry. You sit under this tree; count the leaves on it. After that many years, Bhagavān will come to give you darśana.” Instead of growing angry, the yogī laughed and began to dance. “Oh brother! One day I will have darśana of Bhagavān! Whether it is fifty years or a thousand years, Bhagavān will come!” He danced in ecstasy. Here was the contrast: the first yogī could not even wait five years, while the second, even when told it would take thousands of years, happily danced and welcomed the message. This was a test. Bhagavān appeared immediately, gave him darśana, and blessed him with liberation. That is why the spiritual path is the same for everyone. One who sits with many expectations—“I am so excited, how can I make my mind stable?”—the answer of God is, “Abhyāsena tu kaunteya, abhyāsena tu kaunteya.” Keep practicing, keep practicing; one day you will surely get results. Therefore, do not come to pūjā thinking, “At home we have no money, my wife and children are unhappy, I have no job, my husband abuses me, there is daily fighting. So we are doing pūjā-pāṭh, we are going to the Guru’s āśram—what is happening?” It does not work like that. There is no fruit in one day. Have patience. Have patience, have patience. One day it will definitely happen. To bring Gaṅgā—Bhagīrathī—to this earth, penance had to be performed for thousands of years. To bring Gaṅgā to the earth, to let the river of knowledge flow, have some patience. If you do it hastily, you will die quickly. If you have patience, you will live long. That is why the Bhagavad Gītā and the Śiva Purāṇa—all the scriptures—teach us patience. You will surely receive it; if you are patient, you will surely reach. If you hurry, there is no lasting foundation. That wisdom is taught throughout our scriptures: be patient. So what did Kāmadeva do? Kāmadeva began to meditate. He asked Brahmā, “Oh Brahmā, how am I to meditate on Śiva? I know the meditation we can do.” Brahmā and many sages then taught him. Even today people are confused about how to meditate, but Brahmā taught Kāmadeva, and I wish to explain it to you now. Brahmā said, “O Kāmadeva, if you do not know how to meditate, sit in a place—anywhere—and simply repeat the Pañcākṣarī mantra, ‘Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya,’ attentively, with full devotion, continuously. One day… you know that Śiva has to come here.” This chanting is the addressing of God. Why do we chant Om before prayer, before yoga, before any worship? We always chant Om. Om is the telephone call to God. When you receive a call, what do you do? First, you say, “Hello,” even though you know your father is calling, your wife is calling, the number and name are displayed. You still say, “Hello,” because you are addressing. In the same way, you know God is there, but without addressing him, he will not come. That is why you call with Om—it says, “Please come here, I am calling you.” Similarly, “Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya”—Śiva is there, but if you do not know how to address him, how will he grace you? Thus, Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya is the address, the calling. So Brahmā, Vasiṣṭha Ṛṣi, and all the sages taught Kāmadeva: meditate, starting with Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya. Close your eyes, sit on the ground, and place your full attention. As you chant and chant, your mind may wander here and there, but finally, ultimately, you will be connected with the eternal power, Śiva. Brahmā and Viṣṇu, the ṛṣis—they taught Kāmadeva how to meditate. “You can seduce others in the form of a beautiful woman, but O Kāmadeva, do not misuse this power. If you do, you will die or be trapped. So first of all, what should you do? Learn to meditate.” This is exactly what people in the world ask. When sādhus, saints, yogīs, and great beings sit and speak of meditation, someone says, “Mahārāj, I do not feel like meditating. When I sit to meditate, sometimes I remember home, sometimes I remember money, sometimes this, sometimes that. Meditation does not happen if the mind is not steady. So how will I meditate?” Then Brahmā teaches, “O Kāmadeva, to meditate, sit somewhere and then repeat ‘Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya.’ By taking the Lord’s name, you leave no opportunity for anything else in your mouth. When you keep saying ‘Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya,’ you have no chance to abuse. As you keep repeating it, it becomes an invitation to the Lord—a call. Without calling, no one comes; even a dog does not come. If you call and show respect, then he comes.” So what do the ṛṣis and Brahmā teach? They teach Kāma Deva: you can sit anywhere. After sitting, say Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya and praise the Lord. “Jai Boliya Lord Śiva, Jai Boliya Nārada Muni, Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Maheśvara, Jai!” Then Kāmadeva began his practice, and Śiva came. Śiva blessed Kāmadeva, saying, “O Kāmadeva, I am very happy now. I grant you this: you may move in an invisible form—without a body, you can travel, you can dwell in the heart of a beautiful woman, you can remain with any beautiful person in this world, and you can easily attract anyone. That is my blessing. But Kāmadeva, remember one thing: those who misuse this power will face trouble. Always keep this in mind.” Śivajī thus blessed Kāmadeva, and Kāmadeva was overjoyed. He saluted Śivajī, placing his head at his lotus feet and receiving the blessings—just as we do when we receive blessings from God and Guru. Through his meditation, Kāmadeva received the boon that from that day forward, he would spread throughout the world without a body, present in all beauty, residing in the hearts of beautiful women and beautiful men. What can we understand from this philosophy? The Śiva Purāṇa teaches us that desire, sexual power, is also a blessing from God. But if we misuse it, trouble arises. That is why we worship the liṅga. The liṅga is creativity; it is the symbol of creation, of creative power. It is said to balance our lives. We have different stages of life: first, Brahmācārya; second, Gṛhastha; third, Vānaprastha; and fourth, Sannyāsa. We divide life into these four stages to maintain balance. If you cross that balance, you will have difficulties. So Kāmadeva’s lesson is: when you marry, as a householder (gṛhastha), you may be attracted to one woman. But if you are a sādhu, a saint, you must defeat Kāmadeva. That is why you need to practice yoga, perform tapas, and remain on a phalāhār (fruit diet). A sādhu stays on phalāhār—eating only fruits. If you eat a lot of junk food, consume alcohol, smoke cigarettes, and indulge in other things, your chemical desires increase. Even if you wear geruā vastra, the mind remains restless; your body is here, and you will be pulled toward Kāmadeva. This is why we often hear news of sexual abuse even among saints and mahāpuruṣas. Therefore, discipline is essential. Those who remain disciplined become the true ones—Saccā, Satguru, Satpuru, Satasādhu; otherwise, they are simply pakhaṇḍīs, so-called sādhus, so-called saints, so-called brāhmaṇas, so-called paṇḍitas. If you cannot follow the rules of this divine knowledge, this divine formula, you are in breach. This is the challenge in today’s devotional sphere: people say one thing and do another, preach one thing and practice another. There is no alignment, and that creates stress and problems in the world. The Śiva Purāṇa says: yes, you have desire, yes, you will have it, but you must follow the rules. That is why in yoga, Aṣṭāṅga Yoga, there are eight stages: Yama, Niyama, Āsana, Prāṇāyāma, Pratyāhāra, Dhāraṇā, Dhyāna, Samādhi. If you are a yogī, you must observe Yama. Patañjali states that there are eight steps for yoga. But another ṛṣi, Gorakṣanāth, says that for a yogī, there are only six steps, because Yama and Niyama are meant for everyone; all human beings must follow them if they wish to be called human. For the yogī, the journey starts with Āsana. So by regularly practicing Āsana, you can balance your desire. And then, slowly, through Āsana, Pratyāhāra, Dhāraṇā, Dhyāna, Samādhi, you withdraw your sensory desires. You can do it. Part 3: Discipline, Desire, and the Path to Peace: Insights from Śiva Purāṇa and Yogic Philosophy What did Patañjali say? If you are a true yogī, then you should follow eight rules. What are the eight rules? Yama, Niyama, Āsana, Prāṇāyāma, Pratyāhāra, Dhāraṇā, Dhyāna, Samādhi. One should be pure in food and drink. First of all, a yogī who is not free from intoxication is not called a saint, a sage, or a Mahātmā. When he is intoxicated, he is not free from intoxication. If a person is not attracted to alcohol, then... Gaurakṣanāth, Patañjali has said that you have to follow eight steps in yoga, but Gaurakṣanāth Yogī, Nikhileśvar says that Yama and Niyama are for all people. If any person comes into the world, he should follow Yama and Niyama, because eating pure food, living in a good house, waking up according to your rules, staying in āsana—that is a normal person’s rule. For a yogī, it should be even more difficult. That is why, after Yama and Niyama, the āsana, which is the third step, that is a normal person’s rule. For a yogī, it should be even more difficult, that is why after Yama and Niyama, the āsana, which is six steps, that is a normal person’s rule. For a yogī, it should be even more difficult, that is why after Yama and Niyama, the āsana, which is six steps, that is a normal person’s rule. For a yogī, it should be even more difficult. He is for the yogī, that is why there is the same problem in the world now. Someone says one thing and does another thing, they say one thing and do another thing. So what do they say? That it is very difficult to find the true man in this world. That is why you should not be attracted to anything. All that glitters is not gold; all that glitters is not pearls. That’s why you don’t just study behind the light. If there is a light inside it, then you should study by it. So Śrī Purāṇ says this: Kāmadeva is being taught by him. It says, like, all that glitters is not gold, in English. Not every shining thing is a star. So that’s why you don’t follow, you don’t see only the light and just follow the source of light. So what is it that is coming from? So that’s why Kāmadeva is being taught by him. Now Nārada asks here to Brahmā, "Oh Brahmā, oh my dear teacher, oh my God." So, you know who is the father of Nārada? Brahmā. Good, you will get the prize later on. So Brahmā. And Nārada asked Brahmā, "So then did Kāmadeva marry? Or how did he marry? And how come he gave? Who gave him a wife? And who is the father-in-law?" Nārada is asking Brahmā, and Brahmā is telling Nārada, "Oh Nārada, I’ll tell you, explain that, this is a wonderful story, and I’ll tell you." When Kāmadeva comes, then Kāmadeva starts to go everywhere. And he is very dangerous, that people feel, "Oh, this is not good, he is going everywhere." And he’s disturbing everyone everywhere. Everyone who is meditating, Kāmadeva goes. And whoever is practicing celibacy, Kāmadeva goes, and he can break their disciplines. And that’s the dangerous thing. Then Mahādeva and everyone decided Kāmadeva needed to marry. So that’s why, and they designed, they asked Dakṣa Prajāpati, "Oh Dakṣa Prajāpati, can you give one daughter to Kāmadeva? Can you please?" So, that’s why he will be settled in one place. And Dakṣa Prajāpati was ready there. And he created one beautiful, most beautiful, daughter. And the most beautiful girl, her name was... who can say? They will get a prize. Who is the wife of Kāmadeva? Yes, Rati. Sir, Rati. And Dakṣa Prajāpati’s most beautiful daughter’s name is Rati. And Dakṣa Prajāpati is ready to marry, ready to give his daughter to Kāmadeva. And one day they organized, and Kāmadeva, the Brahmā said, everyone said, "Kāmadeva, you need to marry. And you will marry Rati." One of the most beautiful, heavenly ladies, the princess, is Rati. And Rati is tip to toes beautiful, amazingly. And not only externally, but inside also, internally, she is beautiful. And one day, Dakṣa Prajāpati invited, and what happened? They did Saṅkalpa. You know, before a wedding, they need to do Saṅkalpa. Saṅkalpa is the commitment, intention. Pāṇi Grahaṇa. Right? So, what will happen to Kāmadeva? Kāmadeva started to go to different places in the world with the blessings of Lord Śiva. And he started to go to different places. And all the yogīs, mahātmās, santpuruṣas, and siddha puruṣas, who were separated from the work of Kāmadeva, separated from household life, and separated from the world, went to meditate. Kāmadeva used to go and put a barrier, put a barrier, so that no one could survive. So what did they... Dakṣa Prajāpati and Brahmā all together, that now this Kāmadeva has to get married. If he gets married, then he will be fine in one place. So what did Dakṣa Prajāpati and Brahmā batalāyā? That Dakṣa Prajāpati, you find a girl for him. Then what did Dakṣa Prajāpati do? And the daughter’s name was Rati. And Rati was very beautiful, so for this reason, what is it? Rati and Kāmadeva were arranged for marriage. Rati was very beautiful. Whose daughter was she? Dakṣya Prajāpati, so Dakṣya Prajāpati kī putrī thī Ratī, aur śādī ke lie. Now it is time for the saṅkalpa, and in the saṅkalpa it is said that, "Hey Ratī, from today you make Kāmadeva happy," and, "Hey Kāmadeva, you also live with Rati, and both of you live together in this world, and both of you have this work only for creation, for creation. That is why you people do not forget the wife of creation anywhere. That is why, whenever the child is created, and for any work, you people do not forget. And what is it, that for the increase of the family, and for Kāmadeva and Rati, they are not together in one hour? Otherwise, you people, everywhere, in every place, would not be alone for even one hour." That is why they explained that, and the marriage of those two took place. So here is the story, that they took the intention, the saṅkalpa. But before taking the intention, they need to toss the water, you know. Before doing the prayer, we also do saṅkalpa: Hari Om Tasa Tasa... Viṣu Viṣu... Adhyāyaṁ Namaha Paramātmane Purāṇa Puruṣottamāya Viṣṇu Raghya Adhyāśir Baṁbha No Niditya Prārabdhae Vaivasodam Nandare Aṣṭābhiṁ Sadi Tame Kalī Vyaekalī Prathamācaraṇe. Like this, we chant the Saṅkalpa. So in this way, Dakṣaprajāpati also made the Saṅkalpa for the wedding of Kāmadeva and Rati. O Rati, from today you don’t need to leave Kāmadeva. O Kāmadeva, you do not need to leave Rati from today. That’s why they did saṅkalpa; they took a mutual vow, and after taking the vow, what happened? Rati and Kāmadeva began living together, and in the world, Kāmadeva went everywhere, to every place where there were saintly persons, mahātmās, sādhus, or any meditative yogīs, and he would go and create disturbances for them. For that, for Kāmadeva, what happened? He became bound, he became disciplined, he began to stay with Rati, he got married to the daughter of Dakṣa Prajāpati. What did Dakṣa Prajāpati do for the water ceremony? Dakṣa Prajāpati did, for Kāmadeva... I gave my Rati to you, and both became happy, and Rati began to speak, "Hari Pitājī, you have given me a very good husband, so I am happy, very happy." Kāmadeva also said, "I am also very happy." Then they... Both of them expanded their lives and began to move forward. So, it says that after the wedding, Dakṣa Prajāpati asked Rati, "Oh Rati, daughter, are you happy?" And Rati said, "I am so happy, I am very happy now." Then Dakṣa Prajāpati was satisfied with that. Whenever you have a daughter or kids, you always want to satisfy your kids, isn’t it? In the same way, Dakṣa Prajāpati asked Rati, "Rati, are you happy?" "Yes, I am happy." And Brahmā also asked Kāmadeva, "Are you happy?" "I am very happy." Yes, I am happy with the roti. And so then they received the blessings from their respected parents. And they bowed their heads and received blessings. And Brahmā and Dakṣa Prajāpati said, "You better remain yourself. When the time comes for creation, when the time comes to produce a generation, only you can be together, not all the time." That was the blessing from Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Dakṣa Prajāpati to their children. According to this philosophy, what we can learn, what the Vedas, what the ancient philosophy taught us is that you need to be, if you are a kriyāstha, you need to be in discipline. If you are a sādhu, you need to be disciplined. You should follow the rules and regulations. If you don’t obey, if you don’t follow the rules, then there will be complications. And how do we match this theory to the modern theory? If you go to, if you read the Sigmund Freud theory, it says like you consume and consume. People, why are people unhappy? Because they cannot fulfill their desires. If they can fulfill their desire, they can be happy. That’s why you consume. That’s why you can fulfill your desire. I look at this, that because of that theory, that principle, nowadays there is a lot of sickness and disease. And in the name of the freedom of sex and love, there is so much sickness and disease, and so many difficulties nowadays. And people are in a crowd, but they are isolated, there is no trust between husband and wife because they always have doubt, and in the name of freedom, they are crossing the lines and borders. That is why that principle has failed. It is no more popular. And if you go to Marxist theory, Marxism also said that if you give equal distribution of the infrastructure and all the assets, then society will be at peace. So, if the infrastructure, the assets, and the property are distributed to everyone equally, and if there is no inequality in income, then society will be happy. That has been practiced in China and many communities and countries, but still there is war, still unhappiness, still suicide. Why? Why is that? Because they distribute the property. The principle says to distribute the property, but not the peace, not the satisfaction. That’s why it’s not the discipline. That’s why the spiritual philosophy says to distribute everything equally with rules and regulations. And spirituality should be there. That’s why nowadays there is an ashram in Nepal, and that ashram has got the Lord of Marks. They made the marks and the sigman fried, and also Śiva, and also Vivekānanda, and also all the deities they put, and then they pray. Because whoever contributed to human society, whoever created principles for human society, all are respected, but we always need to maintain a balance. So, if you go to Nepal, there is one āśram, you can see that they are praying to Marx, they are praying to Osho, they are praying to Vivekānanda, they are praying to Śiva and Gaṇeśa as well. So, in spiritual philosophy now, if you see communism, you can see, if you see Sigmund Freud’s principle, you also already see, and also capitalism. In capitalism, what happens? You can consume and consume. Whatever you see, you need to enjoy the material life. If you see an expensive mobile, you deserve to buy it. If you see an expensive car, building, house, or any material thing, you feel you need to buy it. You can enjoy this, and that means, yes, you can enjoy. But what happens? If you buy the BMW, if you buy the Mercedes, if you buy the Ferrari, then what happens? You need to work more. When you need to work more, you need to pay more. And when you need to pay more, you will have no time for God and Guru. So, and you don’t have time to think about life, birth and death, and the eternal peace. You always become the slave of these material things. That’s why what happens is that the consuming, according to capitalism also, is not the happiest. So, I am living in Australia, somebody is coming from Canada, Portugal, Hungary, and the Czech Republic. You can see that life is very busy there. Mahāprabhujī karatā hai kevalam. They give us hunger but not the peace. They give us houses, modern things. We have got a swimming pool in the house, a beautiful house, a two-storied house, a car we have got, all the material things, infrastructure, but we don’t have time to enjoy it because we have to work in the name of richness, that we are becoming slaves of the material things. So capitalism is also not giving pleasure. That’s why the Vedānta Siddhānta tells that you need to follow the principle, the spirituality. If you follow these rules, no matter if you don’t have a single penny, you are happy. You can see that one day I went to Osaka, Japan, and I found one of the richest, most expensive persons, and he has 120 restaurants. And he was walking with me because he wanted to design his resort according to Vāstu. You know Vāstu? The Feng Shui. And he invited me to design Vāstu. I went all the way from Australia to there. And Nagasaki, I think somewhere, that is the resort. And there is a hot spring inside his resort. And beautiful resort. The world’s art is there. And while we were walking on the street in Osaka, one man was lying and sleeping on the street. And that guy told, "Oh, the Pandit, you know that? What? I am very jealous of that man." And he asked, "Why are you jealous? You are the richest person, 120 years." And you have got this beautiful resort. And how come you are jealous of the beggar, like a street man? You know that? He can sleep there nicely. He said, "I have lost my sleep for many days. I cannot sleep." So I am jealous of him. He easily sleeps even on the street. He has a dream. Look at this. What a person, an enjoyable person. So he told that. Look at this, the differences. Does capitalism give peace to this man? He has 120 restaurants. He told me, "I don’t know what the names of the restaurants are." He said that he did not know how much income there was. I need to ask my accountant. So, isi liye kyā hai ki dhan se koī bhī sukhī nahī̃ ho jātā hai, ki dhan nahī̃ uske liye to śānti honā cāhiye hai, to śānti ke binā koī nahī̃ hotā hai, sansār me jo bhī theory ā gayā, principle ā gayā, ki abhī ye Sigmund Freud kā principle ā gayā, aur Pūjībād kā, aur communism. The principle has arrived, that all of them, that they are not contradictory amongst themselves, that you will also place in worship, you will place the TV, and you will place the car, you will place anything. In reality, happiness is not given to you in the end. Because that happiness happens at a time when you don’t have anything, you don’t have any money, you can sleep anywhere, at that time you are happy. You can buy a bed. There is a bed worth lakhs of rupees, but there is no sleep in the bed, then what is the use of that bed? He Bhai, isliye kyā hai, ki hamāre purāṇ, hamāre vedī granth batātā hai, ki āp har cīz meṁ niyam pūrvak raho, yogasth bano, yogasth bano. Yog karne se āpko kyā hai, khuśh ā jāyegā, sansār ke bhautik vastu se, to khuśh bhī āpko khuśh nahīṁ ā jāyegā. To isliye yahāṁ pe. Bhī, Śrī Purāṇ kyā batātā hai, ki rati aur Kāmadeva ke marphat kyā hai, ki salāh de rahe hain, sansār ke liye, ki āpke pās mein koī bhī śakti hai. If you have the power, then don’t abuse it, because you will never get peace from the things seen in the world. The enjoyment is gone. The money is also gone, and you have been made a fool. Aisa hai. Isi liye kya hai ki sansār mein jab ā gaye, To āpko sadā sadā khush milegā, sukh milegā. Our Vaidāntika Siddhānta, Vedic Philosophy, this very thing tells us, whatever philosophies come into the world, Communism, Capitalism, And all have come, so no one is left out. So what happens in that? When you become devoted to the Lord, all your happiness is lost. So we who live in the Western world, we feel the hunger to buy. Whatever you get, buy it. There is competition there. You have to show off. And by showing off, you have to do more work. If you do more work, then there will be less time for the devotion of God. Hoga aur samay kam ho jayega, to kya hai ki Paramatmā ke liye samay koi nahīṁ, bhai. Isīlie marne kā samay ā jātā hai. Isīlie bolte haiṁ, jab tak jīvan rahegā, jab tak jīvan rahegā, phursat nahīṁ hogī kām se. Ek sām ek. Chhana aisa nigalo ki pyaar karo Prabhu Rām se. Jai Bholē! Śrī Abharaṇam Chandra kī, Śrī Bhagavān kī, Bholē Bābā kī, jai! Now we have one music. We chant Śiva, Śiva bhajan. And without appeasing Śiva, we cannot go ahead. So wherever you are, just keep in your mind Śiva, Śiva of transcendental energy. And wherever you are, keep taking the name of Śiva. Śiva is such a thing. With that word, you will get a sign in your mind. It will give you stability. It will lead you to peace. Kare Jai Ga Aur Śiv Jī Kā Ye Mantra Kā Jo Mahat Hai Bayan Nahī̃ Kiyā Jātā Hai Arahaṛā bhule! So, now we’re entering the Śiva Purāṇa’s Rudra Saṁhitā’s 10th section, 10th chapter. And in this chapter, we are going to explain about the Sandhyā. So, Brahmājī also created a beautiful woman, the most beautiful woman, and her name is Sandhyā. So, sandhyā is dawn, evening, and morning time. And you can see the morning and evening are the most beautiful times of the day. That is why Brahmā created the Sandhyā. So we talk about the Sandhyā, why he created it. And how come Sandhyā is beautiful? And what’s her role? Part 4: The Story of Sandhyā: Beauty, Duty, and Meditation And what is the role of a beautiful woman? Why does a woman wish to be beautiful? What is the reason, the mystery of that attraction? This is truly wonderful, isn’t it? We have just learned about Kāmadeva. He finally settled with Rati, but I am not sure how many of you still have an unsettled Kāma Deva within. How many people in this world have an unsettled Kāma Deva? Yet, with Śiva’s blessing, it will be settled. Now we will discuss Sandhyā. In the Śiva Purāṇa, in the last chapter of the Rudra Saṁhitā, it is mentioned that we have heard about Kāmadeva and Rati. Rati was married. Then what does Brahmā do? He creates a beautiful woman. Her name is Sandhyā. And what is a beautiful woman? How must she live in the world? What role does a woman have in society? What is her secret? All this now comes in this Purāṇa. In today’s society there is great confusion. There is so much bad news, and yet women are considered Lakṣmī, and how women are worshipped—this is what has been discussed here. In the Śrī Purāṇa’s Rudra Saṁhitā, the last chapter, sections seven to ten, there is a discussion about Sandhyā. Brahmājī koi ek bār man āgayā, aur Brahmājī ne kyā kyā kī? Ek sundar sundarī strī ko racanā karne kā man meṁ āgayā. Aur Nārada āpne putra-puṣṭe haiṁ ki Brahmā ko, "He Brahmājī, he pitājī, āpne aisā sundar strī ko kyoṁ racanā kyā?" Her name is Sandhyā, and what is Sandhyā like? What about her marriage? And tell us her complete description, O Lord. And Brahmājī says, "Nārada, you have asked a question for the sake of a beautiful bridegroom and for a beautiful wife. You have asked, ‘How was my daughter Sandhyā born, and what does she do? Tell us about her in detail.’" Kya hai, lok mein uska kya jimmedārī hai, uske bāre mein main batlātā hoon. Then Brahmā said, "Well, Nārada, I would like to tell you: when I feel that there is something lacking in this world, then people are always upset, sad, and they do not know what to do or where to go. They do not know the role of the woman, nor the rights and duties of the woman, or how to respect her. So I created an example in Sandhyā. That is why Sandhyā is one of the most beautiful beings. One day I created that lady and she came forth. The moment she appeared, she asked me, ‘Brahmā, thank you for giving me this beautiful birth. But you named me Sandhyā. Sandhyā means the border—neither night nor day, a boundary. In Sanskrit it is also called Sandhi, the crossing point. Thank you for my birth and for the name Sandhyā. People say I am most beautiful. But do you know? I do not wish to marry. I do not want to be attracted to any person, to any husband. I do not want to be someone who attracts.’" So Brahmā asked, "Why do you say that?" And she replied, "I only want to worship, I only want to meditate. I don’t want to marry, because there is so much trouble and miserable situations. That is why I do not want to be involved in family life, Brahmā, please. I know that I am the most beautiful thing. I know that once people look at me, they cannot stop their temptation, they cannot resist. Yet I do not want to marry." Sandhyā ne kyā bolā? When I was born from the mind of Brahmājī, Sandhyā says that you gave birth to me. But what should I do? Tell me the solution. Then Brahmājī says, "O woman, O beautiful daughter, you are born. If you do not want to marry, and you wish to know how to make your beauty truly beautiful, how to live as a woman, and what contribution you must offer to the world—if you want to understand this, then you should meditate. You need to meditate." And what does Brahmājī prescribe for meditation? Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya. See, just as Kāmadeva was blessed by Lord Śiva, Brahmājī too taught Sandhyā to meditate on Lord Śiva, how to meditate, how to enter meditation by remembering the Pañcākṣarī Mantra. Continue to remember it, and when Lord Śiva appears, ask him about marriage. You do not have to get married now. What a woman must do in life, what she must not do, Lord Śiva will show you. Bhakti patlaenge, lekin aapnā duty hai, aapnā farz hai, ki aap dhyanastā ho jāiye. Ae betī Sandhyā, aap aise hī karo. Tab jāp usko vidyā milā. To Sandhyā dhyān karne ke liye chalī gaī. To aap abhī, iss kathā mein, jahā bhī, Jaisa bhi sun rahe ho, webcast se, television se, aur sadak se, aur yahan pe, pandal se, kahin bhi, ki is katha sunte rahiye, kyunki bhagavān ke bhāṣā ek hī nahīṁ hotā hai, bhāva hī deva vidyate, ki bhagavān ke jñāna to sarva kālik, sarva deśī hai, sab ke liye. Hai, Chai Gora Ho, Parchimi Ho, Purveli Ho, Mahāprabhujī Karatā Mahāprabhujī Karatā... Mahāprabhujī. So this time I would like to explain about Sandhyā. Sandhyā is the most beautiful princess, a heavenly beauty. And she asks Brahmā, "O Brahmā, what is my duty?" And Brahmā tells her that if she wants to understand true beauty, if she wants to know the duty of her life, then she must meditate. To whom? Śiva. Yes. And how to meditate? Start with Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya. And so she longed, and she went to meditate on the river bank. Why do we need to go to the river bank? Because we already know that the river bank is the holiest place. There we can meditate. You can perceive various energies. That energy remains for hundreds and thousands of years, and you can infuse that energy through meditation. Meditation can capture your subconscious mind. Now I would like to explain the scientific reason for meditation. How can you receive the energy of meditation? When you meditate, your mind flows around the atmosphere, and it is thinner than the ether. Do you know ether? Ether is thin, but our mind is even thinner. Our thought travels like electricity—only electricity is not as fast; our mind is much, much faster. Purījī, Purījī... That is why Sandhyā also went to meditate at the river bank. There on the riverbank she began to meditate, and meditate, and meditate. And one day Śiva came and appeared. There is no case where you meditate and Śiva never appears. There is no such case, is there? No. Our scripture says that if you try, if you put in effort, there will always be success. If you don’t believe, just remember Thomas A. Edison. Who is he? He is the discoverer of the electric light bulb, and he failed 9,999 times. But he never gave up his efforts. And finally he discovered the electric light bulb. Now we are enjoying this electricity. At that time, when he failed, a journalist came, the paparazzi came and asked Thomas, "Oh Thomas, you are a failed person. You failed 9,999 times, and you got only one success. How can you claim you are a successful scientist and discoverer?" And you know his answer was, "Well, I was trying to find what processes do not work. Now people can easily find which processes do not work for electricity and which do work. That is my finding." So it is very hard to put forth effort, but you must keep the continuity. Śiva meditation, meditation... When you are not getting success, when you are failing in some field, when you are not finding any work in life, then remember Thomas L. Y. Edison tried 9,009 times for the analysis of electricity. When the analysis of electricity was done, the world asked him, "You have failed 9,000 times, you have failed 10,000 times, then you have found electricity. What is the benefit in that?" Then his answer was, "Brother, I have tried so many times, I have failed so many times. Till this time, what all things don’t work in this world, we found that out, but finally we got success." That is why you also continue to understand this for Prāṇa. So in our meditation too, in our practice too, have we missed anywhere? After two to four days, two to four months, two to four years, have we become tired anywhere in our belief in Bhagavān and in our devotion? No, never get tired, not for one day, not for two days, not for three days. This life will also pass, no problem. In the next life you will definitely obtain it. Śivajī kā Darśana. Śivajī kā Darśana kā mātraba hai, hī hai, ki gyāna satya kā bodha honā hī darśana hai. Sattvikaṁ kālī kāla meṁ, āpako Śivajī āpake samane ḍamaru lekar khaḍā ho jāyeṅge, naye ho jāyeṅge, voh alag bāta hai. But in your mind, there will certainly be an awareness of truth. Therefore, that is why, "Know thyself" and "Ahaṁ Brahmāsmi" (I am Brahman). So that is what our scriptures say, what all scriptures say. Even Sandhyā, the daughter of Brahmā, began to meditate. But you ask, what do you want? You are already beautiful. So she says, "Lord, this beauty is becoming my enemy." See, why is the flower broken? Because people break it for beauty. They do not walk on a stone, they do not walk on a thorn for beauty. That is why Sandhyā says, "Lord, this beauty of mine is my enemy. That is why I want to become without a body, without a body... I want to become bodiless, give me blessings. No one should see me in this world. If they must see me, then only my husband should see me, and no one else. If I have to marry, then I will do it, but if I am a woman, no one else should see me. If they see me, what happens to them? They become impure." So she asked for this. So what is the hope? It is beauty. Beauty is with everyone, but beauty is not to be seen by everyone. It is not to be seen by the world; it is to be seen by God. That is what Sandhyā wants. That is why today’s women who walk barefoot on the streets in the name of beauty, wear new clothes and śṛṅgāra for beauty, and attract the world—that is not beauty. Show the beauty of the mind. If you want to see the beauty of the world, then show the Lord that the world is not there. If you cannot see the world in your delusion, then what is it that the evening changes? In the Śiva Purāṇa, how should today’s women live in an unobstructed way? That beauty is seen only by the husband. And if someone else sees it, then he becomes impure. That is, no one can touch him, and there is such a deep meaning. That is why we should stay in Gṛhastha. A husband should be a devotee, a wife should be a devotee. Saadī karo, koī bāt nahīṁ, āp brahmacaryā meṁ nahīṁ rakh sakte haiṁ, aur āp āśramā meṁ, aur āp sannyās meṁ nahīṁ rakh sakte haiṁ, to saadī karo bhāī, kī dharm chhoḍ ke kisī ke sāth meṁ rāsa-līlā nahīṁ karo, aur kyā hai kī Kisi ke sāth mein kudṛṣṭi lagā kar, paṇḍit hokar, sādhu hokar, mahātmā hokar nahī̃ hilō, Mahāprabhujī kā rahā, Mahāprabhujī kā rahā. If you want to get married, you must be a wife and a husband. And if you are wife and husband, you must be disciplined. If you are not disciplined, you will not obtain the work of God. So you will always be good in this world. That is why beauty is the same as the beauty of the mind. So now there is beauty in the world, but there is no beauty of knowledge. And in the name of beauty, what we are doing in the world, and the beauty that is actually written in the villages, that is in the true devotion, is not called beauty in society. The one who can be more naked, the one who can do more work, that is considered the specialty of our society. But our Dharma, Śāstras, Vedas, and Vedāṅgas say to show the beauty of the mind, for beauty is for the Lord and for righteous work. Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya, Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya. People ask for the attraction. You are already blessed by God. You are gifted by God. But why are you meditating? What is your purpose of meditation? Please let me know. I am ready to give any boon, whatever you ask, right now. When Mahādeva said that, what happened is she asked, "Oh Mahādeva, thank you for telling me. Thank you for this description, but you know that this beauty is my enemy. That beauty is the thing I want to avoid. You know, the flower—why do people pick up the flower? Because of its beauty; that is why it must go. And you know that beautiful, beautiful things always get picked up? That is the problem for them. That is why they are suffering. Beauty is not always pleasure; beauty is suffering as well. That is why Sandhyā said to Mahādeva, "O Mahādeva, I do not need this beauty anymore. I just want to see God. I do not want to show these beautiful things to the world. Therefore, for whom is beauty? To whom do we want to show beauty? God, not the world. And someday, if I have to marry, I will marry. But for that beauty, I have one condition. I will ask you for one blessing from you. This beauty can only be seen by my husband, not by other people. If my husband sees this beauty, that is fine. If other people see it, I will curse them, and they will be no more. That is a Satpuruṣ. I will say that." And Mahādev said, "Well, you want that? Why do you want that?" Because I do not want to be a common person. I do not want to be that marketing person. I want beauty just for God, and just for my husband. So, what a beautiful story this is, and it is giving a moral story for today’s society. And there is the conflict between husband and wife, and women are in competition, showing off and competing to become naked on the street. So, one man came to Australia from Nepal; he is a comedian. He asked me, "You know, Gurujī, I found out one thing." I asked, "What did you find? You know why Australia is a very rich country? That is why. Because you know that they consume less, they use fewer clothes, and they save money. So when I go to Ocean Beach, they use only the little, one piece or two piece. So they don’t need to buy many clothes; that’s why they became rich." So he said that. So, in the same way, you can see nowadays, in the name of beauty, if you have nothing, then you start to show off your bodily things. If you have something, you don’t need to show it. You don’t need to go for the competition. And Sandhyā asked Śiva, "Oh Śiva, please." And Śiva said, "It can’t be possible. If you walk on the street, anyone can see you, and they can stare at you, and they cannot stop the temptation. At that time, what happens?" Then Śiva asked Sandhyā, "Then Śiva, please, make me invisible. I don’t want this body. I just want to remain in this air, in the form of the invisible." And Śiva said, "Well, if you want to do that, you want to go to the Agni Kuṇḍa, the holy fire, and you can jump in it, and you will have the next life, and you can start your individual life." And she thought, "Where can I go there?" "Well, you can go to the Basista Ṛṣi’s Āśrama, Ṛṣimuni, where they are performing the holy ceremony all the time. Because you already have this body, this physical body, you cannot change it now. So if you go there and you can jump, and this means your sense will not die again." That reminded me of the Bhagavad Gītā verses, chapter 2, verse 23: "Nainaṁ chindanti śastrāṇi, nainaṁ dahati pāvakaḥ, na chainaṁ kledayantyāpo, na śoṣayati mārutaḥ." Your soul will never be destroyed; your senses will not be destroyed. It will be here without your body, in invisible form. You will be here. That’s why, don’t worry, Sandhyā. If you want that, you go and you jump in the holy fire, and in the next life you will be invisible. But you need to marry. And to whom do you need to marry? Śiva always inspires marriage because it is the marriage. Why is that in the Śiva Purāṇa? Because Śiva is already married. Isn’t it? So whatever you have, you will give the same thing. So Śiva inspired to marry, and without marriage you will not be complete. But there is some reason. Marriage means you will not be complete? He is the combination, the unification of prakṛti and puruṣa, nature’s combinations, the negative and positive, the southern hemisphere and northern hemisphere. Without that connection, it will not be complete; something there is lacking. That’s why Śiva himself agreed to marry Satī, and Viṣṇu himself married Lakṣmī, and you can see that Kṛṣṇa also married. And you can see that everywhere, the grace, the jīvan, is one of the precious lives; you can easily gain the detachment that they aspire to. Isliye kyā hai ki āpko Sandhyā kyā kartī hai ki batlātī hai ki Mahādev ke sāth mein yeh Mahādev jī mein toh śādī nahīn karnā cāhtā hoon kyūnki merā kyā hai ki sundar chāhī mein ra śatru hai mein kyā karoon. Then after that, Śivjī says, "Hey Sandhyā, don’t talk about not getting married. You should get married. If you want to be invisible, then do it." Then Sandhyā asks, "How can I become invisible, Prabhu?" Then Śivajī tells that wherever you are doing the yajña, go there and spend your life. Do the utsarga. Part 5: The Inner Beauty of Sandhyā: Devotion, Detachment, and the Wisdom of the Śivapurāṇa After utsarga, if you obtain another life, then at that time you will become a bideha. Once you become a bideha, you will be visible only to your husband, and for everyone else you will remain unseen. That is why Sandhyā sought the blessings of Lord Śiva, and what did she do? She did this for all: that for the sake of women’s education, beauty is meant only for the husband, beauty is only for God—not to be paraded before the world. I just recalled a joke in English; I want to share the same story. In Australia, a person from Nepal once came and asked me why Australia is dhani (wealthy). I discovered the secret of Australia’s prosperity, and he asked me why. So I told him, “Mahārāj, when I go to the beach, people there wear very little clothing. That is how the expense that goes with clothes is saved, and Australia becomes dhani.” That is how I came to know Australia is dhani. The same principle applies here. What I wish to convey is that the Śivapurāṇa teaches us that in the name of beauty, the flaunting of physical beauty, a society crumbles. If we wish to be seen, we must be seen with the Lord. After Sandhyā performed her penance, she went to the āśrama of a ṛṣi muni, where the sacred fire ceremony was underway. What did she do? She offered herself (performed utsarga) into each kuṇḍa. When she was reborn, she became invisible. Upon becoming adṛśya (invisible), through the blessings of Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva, she married Vasiṣṭha Ṛṣi. And when she married Vasiṣṭha Ṛṣi, she became independent. This transforms the framework of the Śrī Purāṇa. There is a wealth of knowledge here for the human community, but this knowledge is like amṛta (nectar). When someone follows it, then true knowledge dawns. Gyān to yahī hai ki paḍhne se aur sunne se aur dene se o gyān nahīṁ hotā hai. To sunī sunā jñāna nahīṁ hai, ki āṅkhoṁ dekhī jñāna hai, kānoṁ dekhī jñāna nahīṁ hai. Kabīr Mahārāj bhī bolte rahte haiṁ. Isi liye kyā hai ki duniya mein jñāna denā sajil hai, āsān hai, lekin jñāna pālan karnā mushkil hai. Now I would like to say here that when Sandhyā was meditating and received the blessings from Śivajī, she went to the ṛṣi muni’s āśram and gave up her body. So she gave up her body. What is the significance of that? It means: give up the attachment to your body. Give up the attachment to your material body, which is destined one day to lie in a cemetery. Why do you lavish so much love upon it? Yes, you need to give priority to your devotion. Sārī rāmadhyam kalu dharma sādhanam. This body is a tool to attain dharma—not to attract a boy, not to attract a husband, not to attract people. This body is an instrument to draw the purity of the mind. That is why Sandhyā is telling us these beautiful truths: do not miss the purpose of this body. In this body, you have amazing possibilities. In the science of evolution, modern science tells us about the different types of bodies and jīvas (living beings) in this world. There is a vast variety. The first type is the tree. The tree has only one sense; it cannot move, cannot go anywhere. It possesses certain other qualities but lacks movement. That is why it is called Jaḍa—inert. And second are the two-sensed beings. What are those? Those jīvas that can move here and there, like the life in your body. And some insects, they can move here and there, but they know nothing of liberation. They do not know how to love, how to store fruits and food. That is the two-sensed state. Mahāprabhujīp Karatā He Kevalam, Mahāprabhujīp Karatā Purījī, Purījī... The more you meditate, the more knowledge you have, and the more Kalā (art, divine quality) you attain. Otherwise, if you live like an animal, you have only four Kalās. You are simply eating, sleeping, mating, defending, and dying. That is animal life. That is what the Śiva Purāṇa also tells us: elevate your senses. Kalā, ki duniya mein kyā hai? You are not living here just for eating and merely fulfilling sensational desires. Mahāprabhujī kī Karatā, Mahāprabhujī kī Karatā... The beautiful body that she no longer wanted. And there is so much plastic surgery. You are turning sixty, yet you want to be young, and you pay thousands, hundreds of thousands of dollars to alter your facial structure—all for fake beauty. But the Śivapurāṇa says: do not attach to bodily beauty. Attract yourself with heavenly beauty. That is the eternal meaning. If you merely listen to this story, it sounds like an ordinary tale. Anyone can tell it. The Śivapurāṇa is known to everyone—even a layman, a simple paṇḍit, everyone knows it. But the interpretation and the understanding are different. How can we truly understand it? It says that each and every story holds profound meaning. So we need to know eternally, we need to know the significance of the meaning—not merely the narrative. That story that remains just a story is a lifeless story. That is why merely knowing the story is not knowledge. Knowing the Purāṇa and grantha (scriptures) is not knowledge. Reciting śabda jñāna (word knowledge) is not knowledge. The real knowledge is the inner change and spiritual transformation; that is wisdom. So here, Sandhyā obtained the blessing, and she went, sacrificed herself in a holy fire, found a new life, and now she moves as beauty around—yet she is invisible, an invisible beauty. That is the example for our nārī society, mahilā society, mahilā samāj (women’s society). When Sandhyā did what she did, what is the spiritual and scientific reason? That you should not become attached to the body. The body comes once and then exhausts itself. But if you wish to display it, then display it to the Lord. These days, you can see what people do in the world for bodily beauty. You spend thousands and lakhs of dollars to enhance the body. You improve your face through plastic surgery. But why is it that you still do not attain any inner beauty? That is why there is fighting, tension, and quarrels there. There is worry, and there is discord in society. In the relationship of husband and wife, there are fights, disputes, and division, and everything increases. But instead of chasing external beauty, increase the beauty of the mind. Brother, outer beauty is not true beauty; that beauty is your enemy. And if you strike at the enemy from the root, what happens? You will be victorious. Indrajam karo, aap usko mūl se kāṭo, aap ruk ke śākhāoṁ meṁ, aur sākhā meṁ jal dāl rahe ho, aur aap mūl meṁ jal dālne ke liye bhūl rahe ho. Isliye paramātmā ke tarap dhyān jagānā, paramātmā ke āsakti lagānā hī, sabse baṛā sundartā hai. And so, in the world, if you go to the market to shop, you never find a shop to buy intellect. If you go, you find places to buy cream, powder, and cosmetic items, but have you ever seen a shop where you can purchase intellect? Even I would have bought it in two to four kilograms! No one can buy it. So, intellect is obtained by being close to the Lord from within, by the grace of God, by the grace of the Guru. Therefore, you should always stick to that side. Never take rest in your journey until you complete this human life. So, that is why I told you earlier: in life, what is a human being? That the sun, the moon... The human being can reach up to four Kalās. The one who lives in one Kalā is like a tree. The one in two Kalās is like a worm, an insect. The one in three Kalās is like an animal, a bird. And the one in four Kalās is like a cow, a buffalo, a bull—they are four-legged, they cannot think, they cannot draw near to God, and they cannot hear of mukti (liberation). All they can do is eat, drink, have fun, and die. Bhagavān Rām, Kṛṣṇa, and Mahātmā Puruṣa came to this world, and they reached Sūrya Kalā (the solar art). That is why there was power in them. What do humans do today? They talk big, they lack knowledge, they lack power, yet they talk big. There is no purity in small things. Now I am moving to the second section. What does “Sandhyā” signify? The middle part of the day and the middle part of the night—that is Sandhyā (the juncture). What happens at Sandhyā? It is said in the śāstra that if someone engages in rati-krīḍā (sexual play) with his wife at that time, he becomes non-puṁśak (impotent in character). For whom is this instruction? The Sandhyā time is for dharma, for dharma... Sandhyā bandhan banāyā gayā hai, abhī sandhyā bandhan pustak mein rahā gayā hai, aur śow kāl paṇḍit, sādhu aur jo bhī hai ki vo lok sandhyā bandhan to ke, to unke liye ek time bhī nahīṁ raṭā hai ki Bhagavān ke dhyān karne ke liye, baṛe baṛe bādh ho jātā hai, isī liye sansār. Mein do char sadguru hai, do char manushya hai jo nimit isko saccāī mein pālan karte hai, isī liye saccāī milne ke liye kaṭhin hai. Sandhyā bandhan kā rule hamāre sanātana dharma mein. That is why it is said that the work capacity of the human brain in our life is capable only for about six hours. That is why our Vedic science says that you should perform Sandhyā Vandana every six hours. Wherever you are—at work, in a job—wherever you are, take out a little time and meditate. Otherwise, for the Lord, you become one and steady your mind; that is Sandhyā Vandana. But you say you have no time. You say this time, you say that the time has passed. We have come to this point. We talk a lot, and the blessings of the Mahāpuruṣa and the Paṇḍita are great, but what is it? That Pothī was a great Jagmohan, Pannīt was not a Bhaya, the love of Dhāī Akhāṛā was Pade Shwai Pannīt, which Kabīr Jī has said earlier. What is the same thing? That is why we have to bring spirituality into practical life, for the world. Now everyone knows the story, the Qur’ān, everyone knows, but what is it? If you don’t have the knowledge of the words, then the knowledge of practice is necessary. Practice it, practice it. Don’t merely say it is wrong; practice it. Only by practicing will you attain salvation, not by talking. Talking and listening are fine, but what remains? Remove the ego within. What did Buddha do in his time? If someone wanted to become a disciple, first of all, he would send him to become a bhikkhu (mendicant). So, Buddha said to someone, “Make me a disciple.” Then Buddha said to that person, “If you want to become my disciple, then you have to become a disciple of mine... Āp apne śatru ke ghar meṅ jāke bhīkh māṅke likhāo. Voh boltā thā, ‘Yai nāy, nāy mere śatru ke ghar meṅ nāy bheṭho.’ To ego ko vajah se voh nahī̃ jā pāyā, to Buddha ne bolā, ‘Āp mere śiṣya hone ke liye lāyak nahī̃ haĩ.’ To māṅganā matlab kya hai? Ke ego ko down karnā hai. Agar voh āp nahī̃ kar sakte ho, to ahaṅkār āpko nahī̃ jīt sakte ho, to koī guru ke śiṣya nahī̃ ban pāoge. Isliye Guru ke āge jhukne kā ādat banānā voh śiṣya kā dharma hai. Jai Bholē Śivarāma Candra Kī, Śrī Bhagavān Kī, Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Maheśvara Kī. Day and the border of time—in Sandhyā times, Sandhyā is not for fulfilling your sexual desire, not for attaining material desires. Sandhyā is a devotional time. That is why, morning and evening, we need to meditate. Jai Bholī Śiv Bhagavān Kī, Brahmā Viṣṇu Maheśvar Kī, Pyār Se Bholo Bholī Bhagavān Kī Jai. So, what should you do in the Sandhyā time? You should meditate. In the morning and evening, you need to perform your devotional acts. This time is for devotion, not for sleep, not for sex, not for desire, not for love, not for material gain and material affairs. God has determined these three Sandhyās—three times of juncture: morning 6 o’clock, afternoon 12 o’clock, and evening 6 o’clock—that is for Sandhyā Bandhana. That is why it is said in our scriptures that you need to meditate three times a day. If you don’t meditate, at least sit for a while. And if you have no time for meditation, then you are not a human being, a devotee, or a devotional person. The way you are spending time is like animals. After a long, long journey through countless lifetimes, you have obtained this beautiful human body. But if you are not utilizing it for meditation, for knowing, for attachment and connection with God and Guru, then your life is heading toward hell. That is why the Sandhyā bandhan is a time for penance. Morning 6, noon, evening 6—do penance. Without penance, what happens? No meditation. Without knowledge, no meditation. That is why that is meditation. What is the scientific reason for this? First, we are human beings, and we need energy. Every six hours, we exhaust our mental energy. So every six hours, we deplete the energy required for that eternally divine thinking. That’s when you feel lazy, clumsy, and slow. That is why your brain needs to be activated, re-energized, and revitalized. If you meditate for one hour, that will provide you the equivalent of three hours of rest. So, if you make it a habit in your life to meditate every six hours... You can see in some other religions as well: Muslim brothers, what do they do? They also perform prayer. Sikhs perform prayer. Christians perform prayers. So dharma is the moral framework that inspires you to perform devotion. In the same way, in Sanātana Dharma, it prescribes Sandhyā Bandhana. If you do not know how, ask the guru, teacher, master, or a spiritual person. If you know, you can do it; if not, you can still maintain it. And the first reason, the primary reason, is that our mind cannot work for more than six hours to think good things. After six hours, you get lazy, tired, and sleepy. That is why, every six hours, you have to take a bath, wash your face, and then perform Sandhyā Bandhan. Mahāprabhujī kī Karatā, Mahāprabhujī kī Karatā... Pratiṣṭhā se hotā hai, karma se hotā hai, to koī nahīṁ batāye. Āpne āpko man ko puch lenā, āp kitne baḍe haiṁ ki nahīṁ. Isliye kisī kabhī dhūl nahīṁ samajh lenā tum, kyōṁki dhūl bhī jūte ke nīche raṭā hai. Jab āṅkh meṁ paṭ jāyegā, to āpko ronā paḍegā. Isliye kyā hai, dhūl ko kyā hai? Āp kabhī kamjor nahīṁ. Samaj lenā, yahāṁ insān koī bhī hai, āp dekhāī detā hai. He can be very poor, and he may have no wealth, but he can possess the truth of īmān (faith), and he can be greater than a true sādhu. That is why you should not consider any community as weak. The one who walks on the streets, do not misbehave with the poor; do not call him bad. He could be the face of God. The one who talks big may have little truth; many sins may be hidden within him. Purījī, Purījī... Dhānyavāda, āpaṇ kā namaskār karte hain. Isī liye kyā hai ki follow your karma, duty karo. To iske dūsrā kyā reason hai ki bhagavān kī sandhyā bandhan karne ke liye subah oxygen kā mātrā adhik hotā hai, aur more than 60% oxygen in our environment. So it is easy to meditate in the morning than in the afternoon or any other time. That is why nitrogen and carbon dioxide increase in the daytime. The morning time, in Brahma Muhūrta, is the best, when nectar flows to the earth. That is why you should take a bath early in the morning. Subhe kya karo? Snān karlo. So take your bath, because in the water there is a holy substance, nectar. Especially in Kumbha Melā, if you take a bath early in the morning at 5 o’clock, what will happen? The energy from Jupiter, from the sun, is radiating, and you are healing, cleansing. So that is the main motto of the Śiva Purāṇa, today’s chapter: please follow the practice, not the śabda jñāna. Mahāprabhujī kī Karatā, Mahāprabhujī kī Karatā... Śrīpurāṇ kā jñān hai, āp kahīn se bhī sunre hai, ki āp isko istemāl kar lenā. The main reason, the main motto, there is a scientific reason and a practical reason why we need to wake up early in the morning, why we need to meditate three times a day, at least. He goes round and round in circles but cannot cross the street because he lacks eyes. In the same way, in this world, people say, “I am a lordly person, an intellectual. I will guide you, I will give you the path,” but he himself does not know the way. They all say, “Indulging in material attractions, how will you have liberation?” That is why the Satguru, the Satmārga, and the real person need to be your guide. Otherwise, the Buddha says that if you do not find a real person, a true company, it is better to be alone. Then your inner insight will guide you. That is why, rather than remaining in bad company, stay alone. So that is the essence. And Sandhyā is the most beautiful teaching in the Śivapurāṇa. It says that you need to perform your devotion continuously, no matter where you are. Especially here in pilgrimage—you are the pilgrim who has come from far away. Śivakṛpā, Śivakṛpā, and Īśvarakṛpā, Gurukṛpā one day. So we will now take viśrāma (rest). Before viśrāma, we will chant Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya, and then we will go for lunch. Hari Oṁ.